Inventory software on Linux
Display Options
In many cases, it is not necessary to scan a complete subnet if you only want to retrieve some data on the installed software packages. Open-AudIT therefore focuses on the ability to modify the display below the Queries drop-down menu: This empowers users to retrieve many details on the hardware and software. As a result, it is easier for the administrator to plan changes to the hardware and software resources of individual computer systems.
Visualization
Open-AudIT visualizes the collected data in various forms: In the dashboard, the user sees an initial overview of the scan results, each grouped by periods. You can thus display all the devices detected by the last scan, in the last seven days, or in the last 30 days. This information can be broken down further by detected devices, operating systems, or installed software.
The Map item under Menu in the dashboard informs the user about locations. The Logs item contains the logfiles, which can help with troubleshooting. The user can also access these views via the menubar by selecting the Views entry; the other functions here include automated scanning of a subnet or – for Windows environments – an Active Directory (Figure 7).
The Reports drop-down in the menubar let you show and print detailed lists on demand; on request, the pre-built templates will even show you devices that have not appeared in scans for some time. Such reports can therefore provide information on lost or stolen components.
Conclusions
The tested inventory solutions left me with a mixed impression. Although they fulfill the expected tasks, they have limitations. All three solutions suffer from a cumbersome and error-prone installation that is not state of the art in any way. I-doit and opsi provide detailed installation instructions (sometimes several pages long), and Open-AudIT comes with a usable script. However, the risk of errors is great – especially when configuring the LAMP system. In the case of Open-AudIT, the additional installation and customization of SNMP and Nmap are not properly documented.
It is incomprehensible that the developers have not adopted the far more elegant solution of a central installer, in that this solution has already been implemented for many free software packages by the Bitnami project [16].
Opsi has some catching up to do in terms of Linux: The cofunding model for the Linux agent involves significant costs, which makes it uninteresting for small businesses who want to use the system with Linux desktops. The same applies to opsi license management if you use proprietary software and to the planned use of Nagios and the image backup routine. If you need several of these modules, costs can very quickly amount to five figures, and this does not even take support services into account. The concept of client agents deserves some criticism, because it causes additional configuration overhead on the client systems.
The other two candidates show that inventory management can work without agents and that free software can offer strengths and benefits. One positive factor was the clear-cut interface in i-doit that enables immediate access and takes the network infrastructure into account. Also, i-doit provides the most detailed documentation options by far, so the tool covers the entire lifecycle of a complete enterprise IT environment. This makes i-doit the best choice for professional users with a heterogeneous IT infrastructure who view an inventory system as a data source for the accounting department.
Infos
- ITIL: http://www.itinfo.am/eng/information-technology-infrastructure-library-guide/
- i-doit: https://www.i-doit.com/en/
- i-doit trial version: https://www.i-doit.com/en/trial-version/
- i-doit subscription model: https://www.i-doit.com/en/products/pricing/
- i-doit manual: https://kb.i-doit.com/display/en/
- FAQs on i-doit licensing questions: https://www.i-doit.com/en/support/faq/
- i-doit technical FAQs: https://kb.i-doit.com/display/en/FAQ
- Check_MK: http://mathias-kettner.com/check_mk.html
- opsi: http://uib.de/en/opsi/about-opsi/
- opsi service descriptions and prices: http://uib.de/en/support-training/prices-support/
- opsi manuals: http://uib.de/en/opsi-documentation/documentation/
- Installing Windows clients in opsi: http://download.uib.de/opsi_stable/doc/html/en/opsi-getting-started/opsi-getting-started.html#opsi-getting-started-firststeps-osinstall
- opsi download: http://download.uib.de/opsi4.0/boot_cds/
- List of cofunding amounts: http://uib.de/en/opsi-cofunding/prices/
- Opmantek: https://opmantek.com
- Bitnami project: https://bitnami.com
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Direct Download
Read full article as PDF:
Price $2.95
News
-
Danielle Foré Has an Update for elementary OS 7
Now that Ubuntu 22.04 has been released, the team behind elementary OS is preparing for the upcoming 7.0 release.
-
Linux New Media Launches Open Source JobHub
New job website focuses on connecting technical and non-technical professionals with organizations in open source.
-
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 Now Available
Ubuntu Cinnamon 22.04 has been released with all the additions from upstream as well as other features and improvements.
-
Pop!_OS 22.04 Has Officially Been Released
From the makers of some of the finest Linux-powered desktop and laptop computers on the market comes the latest version of their Ubuntu-based distribution, Pop!_OS 22.04.
-
Star Labs Unveils a New Small Format Linux PC
The Byte Mk I is an AMD-powered mini Linux PC with Coreboot support and plenty of power.
-
MX Linux Verison 21.1 “Wildflower” Now Available
The latest release of the systemd-less MX Linux is now ready for public consumption.
-
Microsoft Expands Their Windows Subsystem for Linux Offerings With AlmaLinux
Anyone who works with Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) will now find a new addition to the available distributions, one that’s become the front-runner replacement for CentOS.
-
Debian 11.3 Released wIth Numerous Bug and Security Fixes
The latest point release for Debian Bullseye is now available with some very important updates.
-
The First Alpha of Asahi Linux is Available
Asahi Linux is the first distribution to fully support Apple Silicon and is now available for testing.
-
Zorin OS 16.1 Released with a New Kernel For Better Hardware Compatibility
The developers of Zorin OS have released the latest version of their beautiful desktop Linux OS.